Tourism Ireland, Marketing the Island of Ireland Overseas

Chinese Journalists visit Killarney

13 Oct 2008

A group of journalists from China visited Killarney this week. The trip was organised by Tourism Ireland, in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland and Virgin Airlines. They enjoyed a tour of Killarney and the lakes by jaunting car, with local man Mark Tangney.

Susan Li, Tourism Ireland China, said: “Media visits such as these are extremely important to help build awareness of Kerry and the South West, and the island of Ireland in general, among potential holidaymakers in China. The publicity value of articles in these publications is fantastic – they will be read in China by thousands of potential holidaymakers.

“The Chinese market offers exciting possibilities for tourism to Northern Ireland in the medium to long term. The World Tourism Organisation has forecast that the Asia-Pacific region will be one of the fastest growing regions for outbound travel in the next 10 years. Growth in travel from long-haul markets such as China will re-shape the global tourism landscape, with significant implications for tourism to Northern Ireland.”

Tourism Ireland research has shown that the key reasons why visitors from New & Developing markets such as China wish to visit the island of Ireland are the friendliness of the people, the beauty of the scenery and the cultural and heritage experiences on offer here.